A Book Full of Action and Intrigue!

Cry Havoc by Jack Carr does for the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam—Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) what Kristin Hannah’s book The Women does for combat nurses in the Vietnam War. The “MACV-SOG organization and its members conducted some of the most audacious operations of the Vietnam War. SOG was a highly classified, multi-service U.S. task force established on January 24, 1964, to operate beyond the official boundaries of the conflict. Their mission was ‘to execute an intensified program of harassment, diversion, political pressure, capture of prisoners, physical destruction, acquisition of intelligence, generation of propaganda, and diversion of resources, against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) [North Vietnam].’” Carr continues, “Cry Havoc is a novel of brotherhood and betrayal, a novel of Cold War espionage set against the backdrop of a hot war in the jungles, mountains, deltas, and urban centers of Southeast Asia, a war fought by the men of MACV-SOG. It is a tribute to those who answered their nation’s call amongst the upheaval of the 1960s, to those who donned the uniform, picked up the rifle, and held the line.”

Carr further informs, “The secret war in Southeast Asia was fought by Military Assistance Command, Vietnam—Studies and Observations Group from January 24, 1964, to April 30, 1972. Though precise numbers are difficult to ascertain due to the highly classified and compartmentalized structure of the organization and the fact that many of the records were destroyed in 1972, it is believed that less than 600 men served in SOG at the tactical level over its eight years conducting missions across the fence into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. Close to half were killed in action. Most of those who survived were wounded…Fifty-eight SOG Green Beret operators remain Missing in Action along with approximately 105 American aviators who went down supporting SOG missions.” Throughout the book Russians and US sources discuss US  POWs being transferred into Russian prisons, although Carr states later, “There is no definitive evidence that American service members captured in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia were taken to the Soviet Union for exploitation, but if you have access to top-secret files in the basements of the Lubyanka or Aquarium from the 1960s and 1970s, I’d like to take a look.”

Cry Havoc has 560 pages, but not a word is wasted, including in Carr’s Afterward, where he outlines the various factual bases for so much of what went on in his expansive narrative. This is not a romanticized vision of war (hence not for the faint of heart), although there were “romantic” encounters, usually a literal “tit for tat,” and tat is stolen intelligence amongst the many players who engaged in such high priced dangerous commerce, including the USA, Soviet Union, China, North Korea, North Vietnam, and South Vietnam. If you weren’t alive during the actual Vietnam War to hear stories broadcasted nightly on major news networks during the 60s, this book is a great way to relive so much of what went on in a highly authentic fashion, and a number of great memoirs and books about this war are mentioned by the author, should you want more information.

The author notes in his Afterward that Cry Havoc required more research than any other book he has written to date, and he didn’t expect that initially. This book is wholly immersive due in great part to Carr’s meticulous research and intense attention to detail, whether he’s describing the lifesaving personal gear service members carried on every inch of their bodies, machines of war, the particulars of any given mission, or descriptions of jungles and urban areas, including historic resort hotels built during the French occupation, and the lifestyles of those who could afford them, he paints vivid indelible pictures. Comparisons between battling military and war torn civilians versus the population of wealthy elites are breathtakingly stark, although invariably war finds you when you may least expect it, regardless of your station in life. It is a book so full of action and intrigue (the latter due largely to CIA involvement), you don’t want to miss anything by rushing through it. If I hadn’t needed sleep so much, I would have read it through in one marathon sitting. This book surely sets the bar high for all subsequent books to be read throughout 2026.